The Seer
by naash
Summary: Neji believed that he was fated a life of solitude. That was until he was entrusted by the Elder Council to protect the last Seer. Nejiten (AU, Oneshot) Fanofthisfiction's Summer Show Me the Love Proposals Challenge


**SUMMARY :** Neji believed that he was fated a life of solitude. That was until he was entrusted by the Elder Council to protect the last Seer. Nejiten (AU, Oneshot) Fanofthisfiction's Summer Show Me the Love Proposals Challenge

**DISCLAIMER :** I do not own Naruto

**A/N :** A dream and current readings on werewolf novels gave me a strong need to create. Enjoy.

**THE SEER**

The Seer's sleep was almost always restless, listless. Often snippets of the dreaded future or premonition of death swirled in her mind just as her heavy lids succumbed to sleep. She would wake up a few hours at a time, heart racing, body perspiring with shallow breaths.

Tonight, her gift brought her to an unknown but familiar place.

Standing solitary, ankles deep, in dark murky waters, she would survey the darkness surrounding her. There were trees, tall, dry and bare, for miles on end. She would not be able to see save for the silver full moon, illuminating the sky.

A crisp breeze came her way and she tightened the white nightgown around her slender body. Then, a howl cut through the darkness.

'_He would be here'_, she thought. It was then that she saw a shadow on her far left. She snapped towards his direction and turned.

The creature watched her from afar. Usually they would both be watching each other, neither making any movement. Somehow, today, she felt the need to see _him_.

Tenten took a deep breath and started forward, making her way out of the shallow swamp. Gradually, she was just a few meters away from the creature. '_Oh..._ _A wolf_,' she thought. '_How beautiful_.'

The wolf was larger than any she had ever seen. On his feet, he still stood a foot taller than her, peering down at her with those peculiar eyes. His light grey eyes reminded her of the moon. He was assessing her, more out of curiousity than animosity. His fur was a healthy sheen of black but his face was white.

Deciding that he would not do her more harm, she walked a few more steps, until they were but an arms length away. She reached for him, letting him smell her hand first, before running it through his soft fur. His snout nuzzled at her right cheek, then neck. There was something comforting about _him_. Safe even.

She stayed like this, until the wolf pulled away from her, ears erect, fully alert. It sniffed the air. Then, his fangs were bared, growling at something behind her.

Wisps of smoke soon filled her vision until the edges burned.

* * *

Tenten woke up from her bed with a start. Her wide brown eyes adjusted to the darkness, taking in her bare bedroom.

She had been having the same dream for a week. Mostly visions came in fragments and often showed possibilities of the future. This dream was different, it was stagnant, she did not understand what it meant.

A noise came from down the hallway, alerting her of an unwanted visitor. One of her traps were set off. Then, another and another and another. Voices of muffled pain were heard and then silence. Yet, her traps were being set off again.

_Someone _was getting closer.

She rolled off her bed, unsheathing a dagger she kept beneath her pillow. She quickly made her way to her prairie falcon, Titan, resting on a perch and tucked him into a leather bag.

She narrowly managed to slip under her bed, when her door creaked open. The hallway lights creeping into the room. She held her breath and prayed that Titan did not make a sound.

"She's not here," a voice was heard. "She must have heard the traps being set off."

Another voice clucked in agitation. "Search the premise. I want her alive."

* * *

A few minutes passed by. After being sure that the unwanted visitors did not return, she crept out from underneath her bed, folded her sheepskin rug and tugged at a bass handle on the ground, to reveal her hidden stash of weapons. Strapping on her arrow and bows behind her back, she quickly went to her study table, tore a piece of paper from her notebook and scribbled a short note.

Now, she only had to release Titan to send her message for help.

Tenten lived in an underground cavern, in the land of Sand. It has complex patterns of passages, winding upwards, downwards and sideways. Most of which she knew from the back of her head. It was the only place where she felt safe and away from unwanted attention.

She needed to send a message to the outside world and only one part of the cave had an opening to the earth above. It was the most central part of the cave and most exposed. Most likely that was where they had entered from.

She opened the door slightly, listening for any voices or sounds. When she was sure that no one was around, she slipped out, trudging carefully over the bodies that piled. It seemed that they had bought along a small army. But judging from their scrawny and malnourished bodies, she decided that they were disposal slaves, made sacrifice to her traps. She held back a sob and pressed on.

She turned right climbing upwards into an upper passage. It was a space large enough for her to crawl in and is a short cut directly to the central most cave.

A good while later, she had finally reached the opening of her passageway. Directly in front of her, or rather above her was a 50ft gaping tear in the ceiling; the sky entrance. Central of the sky entrance, was a tall rock formation. She would have to scale it, and release her falcon upwards.

She carefully dropped down to the floor with a soft thud. Giving a quick glance for the intruders, she sprinted across the clearing towards the rock formation and began her ascent. At the top, she carefully pulled out her falcon, tied the note on his small feet and released her.

Tenten watched him spread his wings, a good 1 meter wingspan and fly upwards to the stars. Now all she can do was hold her ground until help arrived. From the high vantage point,a bow and arrow is most useful. Those who were lucky to escape her hidden traps would have to face the sharpness of her arrows.

Drenched in moon's light, she reached for an arrow and pulled it taut with her bow.

Now, she waited.

* * *

The elder council consisted of selected retired leaders, war veterans, advisors and scholars from lands as far as Lightning and Water and those nearby Earth, Wind, Fire, Rain and Rice.

It was an invitation only council and one of highest honour. There will only ever be 14 elders at one time. However, no one knew who these elders are, each identity is remained hidden to prevent bribery and corruption. The elders constantly wore a veiled blue robe, to prevent from prying eyes.

The council, does not intervene in internal matters of the countries. However, for matters that concerns the borders and the world, they had the final say.

The council of elder's main sanctuary is located 80km east to the cavern at the border of the Land of Snow. The monastery was built atop the highest cliff, overlooking most of the lands. To get to the monastery, one had to go through heavy blizzards and hailstorms. However, once the mountain was scaled to reach the cliff, the weather cleared and air stilled.

It was during the break of dawn when Titan arrived, skidding into the main hall, landing hard and knocking over the silverware strewn on the council's circular table. He shook his head and flittered his wings, clearing the cold snow from his sandy colouring, before skipping over to the first person on sight.

Titan arrived, alerting the earliest riser amongst the elders, Jiraiya.

"Graceful," he sighed, putting down his novel and eying the trailing mess. It was the only 15 minutes that he had to himself, where he was able to indulge in writing down inspiration for his next edition of Icha Icha Paradise. He reached to untie the note from the falcon.

'_**Intruders at cavern. Send help'**_.

His eyes widened at the contents and abruptly stood up. He grabbed the falcon, albeit too tightly and rushed to an ANBU, elite guards of the elder council. "It's the seer. Send help immediately."

The ANBU nodded and took off.

"What's all the racket?" an annoyed yet tired voice called out. Jiraiya was met with another blue-veiled elder. This time he knew who she was. Only he knew of one lady with an ample bosom as such... Tsunade.

"It seems that the cavern has been breached."

Her voice tightened. "You sent ANBU. It'll take them a day to get there. Time that she may not have."

Jiraiya gritted his teeth. He acted but did not think things through. "The Inuzuka Clan... The clan is just an hour away." He ripped a page from Icha Icha Paradise novel and wrote in dark ink on the paper. He tied it around the falcon.

"Wait," Tsunade stated, a hand on his shoulder. She swiftly took the falcon into her hands and recited a few ancient verses. The falcon flitted its wings before she released Titan out the window. Suddenly a gust of wind came, encircling the falcon until it became a violent column of rotating air.

The tornado, miniature and compact, burst forward towards the Inuzuka compound.

At seeing this Jiraiya, let out a breath. He never had gotten used to Tsunade's wind affinity. Although, he knew that at the Land of grass, she was known for her tremendous strength.

"The message should be delivered in exactly 5 minutes," Tsunade said curtly, before making her way to the main hall for breakfast.

* * *

It was exactly 5 minutes, when Titan reached the Inuzuka sanctuary. The miniature tornado, upon reaching its intended destination, had managed to destroy 20 ft of crops and a wooden shed, before dissipating into thin air. The poor falcon, was sent into a spin, unable to contain its balance, and smashed through the shoji-style windows.

At 8am, a bathing Neji had abruptly stopped his shower to see what all the racket was, only to find a prairie falcon, resting on his bed. The falcon, upon seeing him, spread his wings so Neji could see the note tied around his feet.

Holding onto his towel, Neji easily pulled out the note and read it.

'_**Intruders at Makai Cavern. Deliver seer safely.'**_

"... Didn't think you're the type to read Icha Icha paradise," Kiba called out, leaning against the door frame, his eyebrows wagging at the pale eyed Hyuuga.

Neji's face grew solemn as he turned the note over to reveal a rather sordid scene.

* * *

_**Half an hour later...**_

"I'm telling you, this might be your chance."

"A chance for what?"

"For you to find your mate. You know we've never ventured this far – well you've never gone this far after you've come of age. You might find her."

Neji sighed. This must have been the hundredth time this week that Kiba had mentioned about him finding a mate. "Maybe I don't have a mate." All wolves reach maturity at 18 years old. It is also from that time that a wolf would find their life mate or as some would say, soul mate. But Neji had reached 23 years, and had yet to meet his mate.

"All wolves have a mate," Kiba stated knowingly. "When I met Aiko, she made me whole." Aiko had been a family friend of the Inuzuka clan and Kiba's playmate. The day that Kiba had turned 18, he had woken to a faint smell of peaches and apples. When he searched for the source of the sweet smell, he found Aiko in the family kitchen, sheepishly finishing the final touches of his birthday cake.

"Hn... It may not be a loss, if I never find her."

"Or him," Kiba corrected, grinning.

That earned a sharp glare from Neji. Had Kiba's father, Alpha Inuzuka not taken Neji into the Inuzuka wolfpack when he had nowhere to go, Neji would have thumped the back of Kiba's head, hard. As the heir to the wolfpack, the Alpha had insisted that Kiba take the lead on the rescue mission. A well-completed mission, may lead to favours from the elder council especially when Kiba took over the Inuzuka clan as Alpha.

"We're here," Neji stated. They were at the border of where the forest ended and the desert started. "The cavern is northways."

Kiba growled and shifted. Bones cracked and twisted until a large brown wolf stood in place of the Inuzuka heir. Kiba sniffed the air and lunged forward, full speed ahead. The other werewolves, five in total plus Neji, shifted and followed suit.

* * *

It was rare to see a pack of wolves race through the sand dunes. Compared to the cool coverage of the canopies and damp forest earth, the desert was barren and desolate. Particles of sands stung their eyes and sand weighted the wolves' fur. In the desert, there was nothing to hunt so wolves kept to the forest and green lands.

After an hour run, Kiba came to an immediate stop as did the other wolves. It was faint but they smelt blood.

Neji's paw patted the ground and Kiba nodded. Another wolf howled upon discovery of a chasm in the ground just past another sand dune.

Neji circled the chasm, his eyes analysing and scanning the inside for ledges and formations that he could use to make his way down. Then, he leapt. Others following his steps closely. Gracefully, he landed from one rock formation to another, using the angled walls and slopes as means to get more leverage downwards until he reached the ground.

There, the copper smell of blood and decomposing flesh was enough to overwhelm their sense of smell that they had reluctantly shifted back to their human forms. Half black masks pulled over their faces, covering their noses and mouths.

"There was a massacre," Kiba stated, pointing towards the unmoving bodies scattered on the floor.

Neji shook his head in disagreement. "A tactical defense," Neji corrected. He studied the position of the bodies and noted the chilling accuracy of an arrow meeting its intended target. "The marksman hid there." He pointed at the tall rock formation situated in the middle of the underground cavern. "All the bodies are faced that direction."

"So the seer has a bodyguard," Kiba said.

"It seemed like she had help," Neji agreed. He crouched down to scrutinise a body more closely. It was a man not much older than him, with dark hair and empty eyes. Neji noticed a familiar marking, on the man's inner wrist – two lines and 3 dots.

"Then, she may have escaped. We should canvass the outside area," Kiba retorted, a grim expression on his face.

"That may be so but we need to search the cavern inside to make certain," Neji replied. "Who are they? What do they want? Are also questions that needs to be answered."

Kiba turned to his peers. "Search for survivors. Kill if they are difficult. But the safety of the seer is our top most priority."

* * *

Unlike the Inuzuka heir and his wolves, the smell of blood did not take hold of him. Rather it was the scent of morning dew and lavendar; soothing and sweet.

He knew he had to aid the others in the search of the seer in the cavern, but he decided to follow his nose which led him to an underground lake. The sheer size of the lake was vast, the crystal blue waters stretching far into the darkness. It was strange to find such an abundance of water below yet a barren land above.

Neji walked along the edge of the lake, puzzled that the scent remained strong yet ended at the beginnings of the water.

He pulled off his half mask, inhaling the scent that enthralled him when a small ripple coursed through the waters. 'A fish,' was his first thought. But the ripple only happened once and the waters stilled again.

"Are there fishes here?" Kiba repeated his thoughts, appearing beside him. "Who'd think that there'd be an underground oasis right here."

"It's possible," Neji stated but his nails, grew longer, sharper by his sides. "Did you see that?" he said, his wolf on high alert.

"No what?" Kiba asked, peering into the darkness.

A Hyuuga's eyes were the best amongst all werewolves. "I saw a pair of eyes beneath the waters."

Kiba growled and turned to the waters. He knew to trust the Hyuuga's instincts. It saving him and his people many times before.

Then, it happened.

A tiny air pocket reaching the waters surface, before popping. This followed by a few more air bubbles before the water seemed to rise and move forward. Much closer, a dark form moved beneath the waters. Then, the tip of the head; hair an autumn brown, then almond shaped eyes, a heart shaped face and full lips.

Neji's breath hitched in his throat. Time seemed to slow down.

She burst through, or rather slinked through the lake, until she stood in ankle deep waters, a bow and arrow taut in hand.

Kiba gave a low appreciative whistle. "Hot damn," he said, lowly.

Neji had the same thought. She was petite, reaching his chest. Her chest rose in deep breaths, making him aware that her white nightgown clung to her every curve. Her waist long hair, was wet and framed her face in waves.

"Who are you?" She stated, her body shivering. No doubt she must have taken refuge in the waters until help came.

Neji stepped forward. His body reacting towards hers.

"Don't," she warned. "Don't if you value your life."

Neji opened his mouth to say something but his thoughts came muddled.

"I am from the Inuzuka clan, Alpha Inuzuka's son, Kiba. We were ordered by the council to get you to safety." Neji wondered how Kiba could talk so normally around – a –a goddess.

Her gaze shifted from Kiba to Neji. Her eyes lit in recognition. Then her hold to her bow and arrow loosened. "You guys came faster than expected. I expected a day at least."

"We live a few hours away," Kiba explained. She nodded.

"Were you the one... to all those people... the arrows," Neji tried again but found it difficult to make a full sentence upon seeing her wringing the water from her hair, giving ample view of the slope of her neck to collarbone.

Kiba eyed him suspiciously, wondering what the hell happened to his usually eloquent friend.

"I did what I had to do, Hyuuga Neji," she replied, meeting his gaze. The way she spoke of his name sent shivers down his spine and his cheeks reddened. "It's been a while. Has it already been eight years?" She gave him a small smile. She made a simple movement of walking towards him but his brain took her movements in slow motion; gaze seductive, hips swaying and shapely smooth legs.

He gawked at her rather openly. He had met her before? He would have remembered someone like her.

She smiled at him sheepishly. "Tenten," she offered her name, kindly."I suppose puberty has treated me rather kindly."

His mouth formed an 'o' as he remembered a teenage girl with an affinity of weapons during his school days.

She stood before him an arms length away. He realised that the capitivating scent came from her. Without warning, his mouth uttered. "Mate."

Her mouth came agape. "Mate..." she uttered. "Interesting. Since you've rejected me before." Her eyes twinkled in amusement.

* * *

"You rejected your mate," Kiba tsk'ed at the Hyuuga male. Both were standing outside her bedroom, standing guard, while the seer changed into something dry. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I didn't reject her," Neji denied.

"Did she say that she liked you?"

"Yes."

"Did you accept?"

Neji's brows furrowed together in thought. It was on a summer's day that Tenten had confessed to him about her crush. He had thought it was infatuation, that he had given a little too much attention to the school's 'weapons mistress' during her target practice sessions. They were put in the same training cell together, and naturally were on friendlier terms, compared to his general animosity to social interactions. "But I didn't reject her."

"But you didn't accept."

Neji groaned, knowing he screwed it up. No... fate screwed him. "I was young and temperamental especially considering how..." he strayed.

"Look, you have a chance to be complete, take it," Kiba urged. "If it wasn't for Aiko I wouldn't be as happy as I would be now. And that Tenten..." He gave another appreciative whistle much to Neji's annoyance. "I _really_ like her."

A wolf came into view, and shifted into human; a lanky freckled man with red markings running down his lips. "The others have convened in the chasm. So far they have reported no known survivors."

Kiba nodded at his Beta-in-training, Reo, "Was there any indication of who they are?"

"I'm guessing a hire-to-kill group and some bought slaves. The slaves helped alert them to the hidden traps."

* * *

Dressed in a loose beige tunic, black shorts and gloved arms, Tenten reached for Neji's outstretched arm as he pulled her out of the cavern. They had made rope using her torn bedsheets and other cloths. A wolf, whom Kiba had called Reo, had taken one end of the rope and leapt and climbed to the top, where he secured the rope to a cactus.

Tenten ignored the spark she had felt from Neji's brief hand holding. Even through her gloved hands, she had felt the physical pull towards him. He was the same – sharp pale features with piercing eyes. He was only taller at 6ft 3inches with a taut muscular body, having had a major growth spurt over the years. She went back to her teenage years, a self-confessed tomboy, who knew her weapons more than the latest fashion. Long ago, she would have been ecstatic by his attention. But now, the weight of responsibility as a seer was far important than her love life.

Her gift, though giving her snippets of realities and truths, meant that she was often put in harm's way, especially for those who wanted those truths to be concealed. From the age of 16, she was deemed the last seer. Now, at 23, she had learnt to keep her frustrations at bay and embrace the solitary life that went with her gift.

She shifted her backpack into a more comfortable position on her shoulders.

"That looks rather heavy," Kiba asked.

"I have my ceremonial dress and weapons in there," she replied. The sun was at its peak today and Tenten felt perspiration trickle down her back. She wanted more than anything to go back to her underground haven but knew that it had been compromised.

Kiba nudged Neji in the ribs and gave him a thumbs up.

Neji maintained his composure and withheld himself from choking his friend. "Do you always bring weapons?" He mentally kicked himself at the stupid question.

She looked at him rather strangely. "Always. The previous seers..." Her gaze grew forlorn.

"I apologise," Neji said, quickly. "I heard about the purge."

"Is that what they call it these days?" she asked, her lips pursed.

Six years ago, an unknown party had targeted the seers. There were ten known seers at the time; five had died from 'natural causes', one had disappeared, one died from old age and the other three died from violent crimes. Of course, the world mourned the death of the seers, but there were parties who were particularly pleased as a seer's vision may overturn a decision; whether it was the appointment of the next king or implementation of a nation's policy.

"When nine of my sisters had died, the elders had taken every precaution to keep me safe as I am the last seer," she stated. For Tenten, being a Seer was not a choice but rather an unwanted gift that warranted unwanted attention.

It never had occured to Neji that fate would not only have his mate be human and a seer, but a walking target as well. "We'll keep you safe," he voiced out, ignoring Kiba's gleeful face at his promise.

A small smile touched her lips. "Thank you," she said quietly.

It was then that Titan came, landing on Tenten's gloved forearm, having being well-rested from his temporary stay at the Inuzuka's. "Hey, love," Tenten stated, as Titan settled on her shoulder, and rubbed his head against her bare cheek.

Neji felt a sting of envy. Tenten had barely spoken to him after the meeting at the lake. She also seemed to avoid his attempts of helping her or just being in his general vicinity. And to see her being close to another male, yes, he did realise Titan was a bird, he could not help having such the feelings. The more time he spent with her, the more stronger the _bond_.

"What is it, love," Tenten purred as she felt a familiar tingle in her core. It was warm at first, and then it sweltered; the heat slowly spreading until it reached her eyes. To onlookers, her eyes glowed a bright amber.

Neji swiftly caught his mate, as her body was released of all the tension and lurched forward. Head, against his broad chest, Tenten breathed in deep gasps of air.

"We should get you to the nearest hospital," Kiba said, alarmed. "Back at home, we have a great doctor..."

"No..." Tenten cut him off. "I just had a vision. We need to head west."

"What's west?" Neji asked, still holding onto her.

"More like why west?" Tenten mumbled, face pink at the fact that he was embracing her. She pulled away from his grasp. "There are more men heading this way."

* * *

_**Two hours later...**_

Neji and Tenten had pressed west without Kiba and the other clan members.

"Are you sure they'll be fine?" The seer asked, glancing backwards. She had taken a brief rest to pour the sand out of her shoes.

"Kiba is capable. His clan members are capable too," Neji said, reassuringly. Kiba had stayed behind to delay the inevitable by planting some traps and preparing for an ambush.

A hoarse screech was heard and Titan was seen flying in circles beneath the beating sun.

"I think there's another group approaching," Tenten said, her eyes wide. "We need to gain more distance or get to the nearest civilization."

"Don't scream," he warned as he shifted. Tenten watched in awe as his skin stretched, bones cracked, snapped and lengthened. A snout grew in place of a nose and his body was covered in a healthy sheen of black fur.

"It's you," Tenten murmured. "From my vision." She ran her gloved hands through his black fur. Moon coloured eyes watched her, carefully.

A deep rumble reverberated in his chest and Tenten came back to the present. He licked her cheek and nudged her behind him.

"Hey," she called him out. "Don't take advantage."

He let out a faint whimper and this time pulled her towards him. Somehow, Tenten understood and climbed onto his back. He gave a short bark before sprinting forwards.

* * *

By evening, they had reached a small oasis with palm trees and decided to settle there for the night.

Tenten had taken out two rolls of bread and dried meat for dinner and divided it with the Hyuuga.

They both ate quietly. Tenten deep within her thoughts. Neji on high alert for any unwanted visitors.

"You know my eldest sister had said that a seer has sight but never sees," Tenten started. Her gaze was on the flames of the campfire. "She had begged the elder council to allow one sister to be integrated into society – to be able to live a life of normalcy. I was the youngest, lesser known seer and I was fortunate to be selected. I got to experience a childhood and my teenage years. I made friends and loved and had heartbreak. I experienced all emotions, of which all are my own. But the purge happened and I receded into the usual life of a seer. It was so lonely. My sisters were so lonely. And they lived through me."

"They had each other," Neji stated. "Just like how we have each other now."

Tenten looked so small that Neji wanted to embrace her. "My sister also said that a seer is loved yet unloved." She laced her hands together. "A seer is loved for her gift but never truly loved for herself." She reached for her bottle of water and took a few sips.

"Well I know who you are and what you are," Neji replied.

She smiled. "I guess you do."

"Who are they? The ones after you."

She shrugged, taking off her gloves and leaned against the palm tree, eyes heavy. "I suppose people with an agenda or who thinks my gift is a threat."

* * *

_She dug herself deeper into the sheets._

"_I'm sorry I woke you up too early," a deep voice said. She turned, to see Neji in bed beside her, a small smile grazing his lips. He had a mark across his forehead. He reached over to kiss her on the cheeks. "And how's my pup-to-be today," he asked._

_She looked down to see a swollen belly. "i'm pregnant?"_

_He chuckled. "We've discussed this before, Tenten. You are not fat."_

When Tenten came to, Neji was there beside her, cradling her body.

"What is it this time? Are they coming?" He asked, brows furrowed as she took in shallow breaths.

"That's not how my visions work," she explained, weakly. "I see truths and possibilities. It's a seers responsibility to make sense of them."

"So what did you see?"

She bit her lip. She had seen her future. "Nothing important," she said quicky. What if it was a dream? "I think we need to go. They may have caught up already." It was still dark.

He went to his feet, grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. "it's important to me especially..." he searched her brown eyes. "especially if it involves your wellbeing."

A few seconds of silence ensued.

"Tenten," Neji said, sternly.

"Ok. Ok. Congratulations! You're going to be a father," She snapped.

Neji was taken aback. "Me a father."

"Yes, it seems so." Tenten said, hurriedly, her steps quickening, heading towards the oasis, gaining distance between them.

"Are you upset?" he asked, quickly falling into step next to her.

"Upset. Nooooo. Definitely not," her voice, squeaked.

"Then, why are you avoiding me," he asked. "If you think I had fathered a child with another woman..."

Tenten cut him off, a hand on his chest. "I did not assume such a thing."

Neji leaned forward, cupping his hands around her face. "A wolf is only given one mate. And my mate is you. I know it's too sudden. I know you might wonder what if we are wrong. I know you might wonder why now and why not then." Tenten's eyes glowed amber. And she saw and felt all he was thinking and feeling. The emotions came over her in waves of pink and red. "I know that I am coming on rather strongly."

"But I thought having a mate was foolish. My own father, was crippled in grief when my mother died." Her eyes glimmered in watery tears as she felt Neji's misery and anger. "But I want to try... no I want to have this." He retracted his hands and watched as the amber dimmed from her eyes. "I know I'll be happy as happy as I was when we met at 15." Neji rested his forehead against hers and she was brought to the day that they had first met. "You were my first friend," he said quietly. "Although I know I was unpleasant to you."

"Yet, I fell for you." Tenten sighed. "I'm the last seer, Neji. My duty may give you more pain than happiness."

"Then, I'll look forward to the good days." He pressed his lips against hers, her taste filling his being to capacity.

"That sounds like a proposal." Tenten chuckled.

"Then, all you need to do is accept."

* * *

_**The End**_

* * *

**_Post-credit scene:_**

Howling wolves could be heard from a distance. Tenten could also see long red wisps of smoke, curling from afar.

"It seems that Kiba has stopped the threat."

"mmmm." Tenten purred, as she curled into Neji's lap. "The ANBU are near too."

"What now?" he asked, feeling on edge.

"I've to go to the Land of Lightning. To select the next wolf king." She smiled, teasingly as she traced a finger along his angular jaw. "The ANBU and I could use a guide to help us get there safely."

Neji let out a breath that he had been holding in. It would agonise him to be away from her.

"What do you say, Alpha King?" she teased again.

* * *

**Author's note:**

_Thank you for reading. This was written quickly as I was out of town for work for the last few weeks. Hence, I apologise for the (a) grammar mistakes, (b) rushed plot / romance and (C) abrupt ending. Truthfully, I struggle with happy endings and since I've never really done a proposal sorta fic, I tried to do this challenge justice. But I am happy that I've pushed myself out of my comfort zone. Thank you to FOTF for inviting me to this challenge and thanks to everyone who took time to read. Apologies for the late submission._

**Naash**

PS: I may continue this as I have left it open ended but I am rather pleased with the ending. I think.


End file.
